Marshall, who has had her own company since 1982, may be new territory to PNB, but she and her work are not strangers to the city. Susan Marshall & Company made its local debut in 1987, and what a stunning evening it was. The company returned in 1995. "Kiss," the work to be danced Thursday night by PNB, was given its Seattle premiere by the Chamber Dance Company at the University of Washington three years ago.

For all of her acknowledged choreographic talent and experience, Marshall works in a communal way, not only with her own company but anywhere she happens to be choreographing.

"I come into the studio with some ideas and images," she said. "I hope that gets the work off to a good start and keeps it on track. There is a lot of talk, something outsiders often have noted. Movements are primarily generated through suggestions and the interactions of dancers. The process is one of discovery. It can be more surprising and exciting when you are not limited by your own conceit and ability. Music may come in the front door, or the back door."

Not all dancers take to that kind of collaborative process. She said she looks for dancers who have a lot of technique but don't wear it on their sleeve. "I want them to come across as people with a clear dramatic intent."

Set to the music of Arvo Part, "Kiss" explores the varying dimensions of love between two people suspended in harnesses above the stage floor. It premiered in 1987. Other than the Chamber Dance Company, the only other troupe to perform it outside her ensemble is Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

"There are several tricky things about 'Kiss,' " she said. "One is whether dancers feel at home in the harness. They have to feel natural in it. Either they do or they don't. You can see that very quickly. Another is the feeling of weightlessness. Dance is all about weight and the shifting of weight. Dancers must work to keep the grounded human quality of the figure. That is generally harder for ballet dancers. It takes a special kind of personality. One has to be very careful. I had a long talk with Peter about that. He cast two sets of dancers (James Moore/Mara Vinson and Casey Herd/Kari Brunson), and when our dancers went to Seattle to set the work, they discovered Peter had been absolutely right. That was good news."